Draft-rigging.



E. F. MECHLIN. 0mm masma. APPLICATION FILED MAY II, 1917.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917...

k Q v Q l vvmv "ging 2 is connec UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. f

ERNEST F. MECHLIN, OF

MINE.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE T. H. SYMING-TON COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,

A CORPORATION OF DRAFT-RIG GIN G.

Application filed May 11, 1917.

To add whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ERNEST F. MECHLIN, a citizen of the United .Sftates residingat Washington, District of Columbia, have in Vented certain new and useful Improve-- 'mcnts in Draft-Rigging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The invention disclosed in this application (which is a substitute for an earlier a plication filed by me November 12 1915,

erial No. 61,135) relates to draft rigging for railway cars and more particularly to that class of draft riggings in which one or more of the operative elements thereof are connected. to the other elements by means of a removable key or keys.

In this form of draft rigging it has been the usual and common practice to retain the key or keys in position by cotters located near the ends of the key, the said cotters being usually arranged adjacent a stationary part of the car or draft rigging, and since all the keys have movement the cotters are brought into contact with these stationa parts and are apt to be worn.

dhe main feature of the invention generall stated comprises, in combination with a dish: rigging of the kind described, means intermediate the car sills to retain proper assembled. posilocated the key or keys'in tion.

There other features of theinvention as will appear from a more detailed description thereof taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing chosen for the purpose of illustrating one embodiment of the invention wherein lockin iece. V

In tlid drawing, 1 designates the center or draft-sills of a car to whichj -the draft-rig 3 is the coupler, 4 and. 6 the spring" device inter 5 are the followers,

followers 4 "and 5. The

posed between the combined tie and brace 7 is located in rear Specification Dimmers Patent.

' 18, said lip being adapted when Patented Dec. 18, 1917. Serial No. 167,947.

of the rear follower 5 and preferably spaced therefrom as shown. enumeral- 8' designates, the means to operatively connect the coupler 3 to the rear follower which means may consist of a pair of rearwardly extending-links or bars which are slotted to re ceive the keys 9 that also through. slots 10 in the followers and coupler as Well as through the sills.

To retain eachkey in its assembled position a fastening means is provided. Said means may be and preferably is in the form of a bar 11 and, in the special form of draftrigging illustrated in the drawing is adapted to be inserted from below in a "ertical direction into openings 12, specially formed in the follower blocks 4 and 5 and accustomarily provided in the coupler to receive one of the It will be noted from an inspection of the drawing that the openings 12 are so located and arranged with reference to the keys that each opening intersects a portion of the keys which pass through. the followers and draw-bar, and at this oint the several keys are leach provided with a notch or openmg 4..

The bars 11 may and vided for a ortion of their length with sub stantially fi z it sides 1-3, the said sides, as shown in Fig. 4, being adapted to closely fit correspondingly shaped sides of the openings 14, to thereby hold the said bars 11 from rotation with respect to the said keys.

Each bar 11 is for convenience formed with a recess or slot 15 adapted to receive therein a locking piece 17. The end of the said slot or recess 1s formed by an angularly extending wall or shoulder 1-3, as shown-1 The locking piece 17 .is connected to the.

' bar 11 in any convenient manner, as for example bymeans of a split key gr cotter 20$ pass, respectively,

standard coupler rivets.

preferably are pro the said cotter being adapted to I ass through i registering openings 21 forms 11. and the locking piece 17. Each locking piece is preferably provided with a head 18 which may be formed with an inclined tion 19 adapted to coiiperate with the inhead portion the bar 11 is position E130 overlie a is convenientl formed on the 111 proper assembled portion f the key 9 and thus serve to retain "jthebar 11 in position.

The'mode of assembling theffbrm of dein the bar por- . clined portion 16 of the bar 11. A lip 20 vice above described is as follows: After one of, the keys has been put into proper position within either a follower or the drawbar, with the slot thereof in register with the opening 12, the bar 11 is inserted into the opening 12 with the inclined portion thereof above the upper surface of the key. lhe locking piece is then inserted and owing to the cooperating inclines on the bar and locking piece the head of the latter member will move outwardly with respect to the bar and into locking position with the lip 20 thereof resting upon the upper surface of the key 9. When and only when the looking piece occupies this position with referonce to the bar, are the openings 21 in register and to retain the locking piece in position with reference to the bar the cotter 20 is inserted. The said cotter serving to pre vent relative movement between the locking piece and bar and between the bar and the key.

In the form of the device illustrated in Fig. the bar 11 is provided with a slotted or recessed portion 15* in which portion the locking piece 17 is adapted to be pivotally connected by means of the pivot pin 16; A head 18 is provided at one end of the said locking piece and formed thereon is a lip 1E) adapted to overlie the key 9 when the parts are in assembled and locked position. Adjacent the pivot 16 the locking 4 piece 17 is preferably provided. with an an gularly extending portion 20 having a slot or opening 20 formed therein, one edge of the said opening, when the locking piece in looking position, being tangential to the bar. A cotter pin 21* or other convenient form of fastening means is adapted. to pass through the opening 20 to maintain the looking piece in locked position,

It will be evident from the foregoing dc seription that I have devised a strong and. simple fastening means which will maintain .the keys in properassembled position and which While easy to remove and insert, maintains, when in position, the keys firmly in place. It is to be noted that since the bars 11 have no movement with respect to either of the parts with which they engage, all wear on the fastening device Ts entirely eliminated.

Having now described one embodiment of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with the draft sills of a car, a draft rigging mounted therebetween and having a transversely'extending removable key forming one of the component parts of the draft rigging, a key retainingdevioe insertible from below and located intermediate the sills and adapted to engage the said key, and means movable laterally with respect to said retaining device into engage 05 ment with an upper face of a part of said ging and a bar draft rigging to support s; era ti 've posi ti on.

2. in a trait riggii; the combination with the coupler, of a 'ing device, means for operativelv connecting said. ee iipler and spring device, said me involvmg a key and a donnn'ardly memo able for retaining said key in :i soinl'iled. position, said retaining means involving a bar engaging said key and a locking :levi. for maintaining said bar in assembled position, said lock-- ifig device being movable late 'ally with respect to said bar when iiieing assembled or disassembled and being ren'iovable with said bar.

In combination with a draft rigging, a removable key passing through one of ii retaining device for 11 to maintain said key in on, and. a loci-Ling and. sap-- d device, said means de vice in oplieil'if; p

r and to permit i. taining d i i. ii

tin-on oi of the movable elements of said rig-- ging and a bar insertible irom below into said movable elenrient to retain the he)? in broiler assein l and. means are ""rie.n* for p-.. on f a transversely extending lzey mounted in one of the movable elements draft rigianted to be inserted into below to hold the key in proper' ositio-n and. means movable laterally will respect to bar and extending within said movable element and adapted to prevent vertical movement of said bar.

7. In combination With a draft rigging, a transversely rempvable key adapted to extend through one of the movable elements of said draft rigging, and a retaining device for said key comprising a plurality of parts having-a wedged engagement therebetween.

8. In combination with a draft rigging, a transversely removable key adapted to ex tend through. one of the movable elements of said draft rigging, and a bar insertible from below into the element having the said key, said bar bein adapted. to retain the said movable elei yond said bar wi center sills of the car,

key in proper assembled p osition, and laterally movable means prqecting laterally beand adapted to retainthe bar in proper position. v v

9. In a draftrigging employing transversely extending keys-as coupler connect.

bars located intermediate the said bars each being key to retain the same ing means,

adapted to engage a in operative position, each of said hars being hin said movable element provided with a member which is laterally movable with respect to said bar, said memher being adapted to engage the key t su port, the' bar is assembled osition, and additional means also extendlng laterally with respect to said bar and being' adapted to engage a relatively thick portlon of the draft rigging to hold the bar from rising.

In testimony whereof I alfixmy signature.

ERNEST F. MECHLIN. 

